Surrounded by mature cottonwood trees, Irma and Carlyle McDougal’s rural property near Virden is the perfect place for gardening. It is here that their son David has created Hugelkultur beds, a European style of raised bed gardening.
Helen Martens of Virden was intrigued with theses very productive raised beds. Martens explains, “Hugelkultur is a German word meaning hill. …”
Information from Permaculture Magazine (UK) explains that Hugelkultur (pronounced Hoo-gul-culture) raised beds “hold moisture, build fertility, maximise surface volume and are great spaces for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs.